Luke Chapter 20: Luke's Account of Jesus and His Adversaries' Debates for Theophilus, a Man of Eloquence and War
Luke Chapter 20: Luke's Account of Jesus and His Adversaries' Debates for Theophilus, a Man of Eloquence and War
1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.
2 "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"
10 When the time came to harvest the grapes, the owner of the vineyard sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
25 He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."
38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.
44 David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?
46 "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets."
In Chapter 20, Luke aims to persuade Theophilus, a Roman familiar with eloquence and warfare, through the debates between Jesus and his adversaries. Those who opposed Jesus—namely the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders—approached Jesus with condescension and direct questions (verses 1-8). They essentially asked, "By what authority are you causing this commotion without our permission?" Jesus, perceiving their fear of public opinion regarding John the Baptist, redirected their question to the source of John's authority. But why didn't Jesus reveal the source of his own authority? Was he afraid of them? A Jesus who had repeatedly foretold the cross had no reason to avoid them.
In the subsequent parable of the vineyard owner, Jesus metaphorically answered questions about his authority (verses 9-19). When asked about the source of authority, what can the giver of authority say? It's akin to asking the one who names things, "What is your name?" The answer must be, "I am who I am." Jesus effectively told those questioning his authority to mind their own business—to use the authority entrusted to them properly. His adversaries surely understood the implication and likely wanted to kill him.
They couldn't back down at this point. To kill Jesus, they had to be extraordinarily meticulous, persistent, and ruthless. They devised a plan to bring Jesus down using Roman power (verses 20-26). However, they ended up facing the personified wisdom familiar to them from the Old Testament. God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and the best of evil cannot surpass the worst of good.
Among them were those who loved logical debates (the Sadducees), who confronted Jesus with their best argument against the resurrection (verses 27-40). When larger issues (authority debate) and tactical maneuvers (tax question) failed, they resorted to their favorite argument against resurrection. Their earthly logic suggested that one woman couldn't be the wife of seven brothers simultaneously, and hence, the same should apply in heaven. This was their limitation, as they had never seen heaven. But Jesus, familiar with the kingdom of heaven, explained the resurrection network to them. In heaven, with God at the center, angels and the resurrected are all interconnected as one family (verse 38).
Finally, Jesus mirrored their logic back at them (verses 41-44). In a logical debate, the most formidable weapon is to turn the opponent's logic against them. They called the Messiah (Christ) the son of David, but David called him 'Lord.' This would seem to create a genealogical contradiction. Thus, the verbal sparring between Jesus and his adversaries concluded. Jesus then warned the onlookers, "Don't be like them" (verses 45-47).
When someone who has experienced the kingdom of heaven debates with those who have only lived on earth about the kingdom of heaven, the outcome is obvious. And it's equally obvious who Theophilus would find more compelling.